Meet Shehla Rashid, the firebrand JNU leader

Working behind the scenes as well as taking centrestage, Shehla Rashid has shaped the narrative at JNU as much as it has shaped her

As she makes her way towards me, Shehla Rashid halts to share a smile, a casual greeting or a quick handshake with several people who cross her path.

Dressed in a grey kurta with a stole around her neck, Rashid looks even more petite than her photographs. After winning the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) election and being elected vice-president in 2015, Rashid has been at the forefront of the Occupy UGC and Hyderabad Central University protests.

But the real test came when JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested last month over charges of sedition and raising 'anti-national' slogans inside the campus. Rashid stepped up and mobilised a widespread campaign for Kumar's release.

As I begin my questions, she requests me to keep our conversation and this report focused on "political issues." "I don't want my personal story to take the focus away from the ongoing debate," says the 27 year old.